Full Featured Arc Welding Simulator w/Sound: Arduino Nano & DFPlayer

I have found all kinds of welding simulators on the web, and wanted a full featured one, with sound, as cheap as possible. This one could be built for $8-15 depending on where you source your Arduino Mini, LED's Resistors, TF Chip, Speaker, and DFPlayer.

The sound effects were recorded from YouTube videos using Audacity.
The sound tracks were named 0001.mp3 through 0005.mp3, and must be loaded one at a time in order. If you copy all 5 at once using Windows, they will get loaded in jumbled order, like 5,1,2,3,4.

My sketch plays old time radio music, looping until a trigger event, from a switch or motion sensor starts the sequence.
Music continues for a while, then white and blue LED's flicker to simulate arc welding, and the arc welding sound file plays for a random time.
When the welding stops, the red LED comes on and fades to simulate the hot metal afterglow, no sound. This time is enough for the welder to pick up his hammer.
Next the slag chipping sound file plays, stops, and plays again.
Then the wire brush sound file plays to simulate cleaning up the slag, and stops.
After time enough for the guy to put down the wire brush and pick up the grinder, the 2 yellow LED's start to flicker grinder sparks, and the grinder sound file plays for a random time.
The whole sequence repeats once more, then stops, and everything goes silent.
After a short time, the old time radio music starts playing again, and loops until the next trigger event.

Here is a YouTube video of the sequence:


Schematic:
View attachment 216955

Sketch:
/*
Script for Full Featured Welding Simulator w/Sound:
MP3 File 5 for 41 seconds of old time radio music after trigger event
Welding (white and blue leds flashing with MP3 File 1 welding sounds)
Hot Metal Afterglow (red led fading no sound)
MP3 File 2 slag chipping 2 times
MP3 File 3 wire brushing 1 time
Grinding the weld smooth (2 yellow leds flashing with MP3 File 4 grinding sounds)
XX seconds after cycles is shutdown, the MP3 File 5 loops 41 seconds until next trigger


Interrupt driven sensor should only play on a RISING edge single. I.E, when a light sensor
is covered.
Adapted from code by Ben (thewag on Trainboard) pieced together from multiple sources, including Toms Trains and Things, original idea by fernpoint on Model Railroad Hobbiest, and suggestions from Marc, an actual career professional welder. Thanks to you all!
Last Modified 04/27/2020, needs comments for each line so I can understand what is happening
*/

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
#include <DFRobotDFPlayerMini.h>
//Digital Pins
int TRIGGER = 2; // Interput 0 -- Sensor
int RLED = 3; // 330 Ohm / Red LED for slag glow on pin D3 PWM
int BLED = 4; // 330 Ohm / Blue LED for arc strike on pin D4
int WLED = 5; // 330 Ohm / White LED for welder flash on pin D5
int ALED = 6; // 330 Ohm / Amber LED for grinder sparks on pin D6
int YLED = 7; // 330 Ohm / Yellow LED for grinder sparks on pin D7
int PLAYER_RX = 10; // Player Recieve pin D10.
int PLAYER_TX = 11; // Player Transmit pin D11.
int PLAYER_BUSY = 12; // MP3 player status pin. LOW means busy playing.
int RUN = 0; // Running status
int CYCLE_COUNT = 2; // Cycles to run the welder per trigger event
int SHUTDOWN_SOUND_TRACK_NUMBER = 5;
SoftwareSerial mySoftwareSerial(PLAYER_RX, PLAYER_TX);
DFRobotDFPlayerMini MP3;
void setup() {
attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(TRIGGER), sensorTiggered, RISING); //May be RISING, FALLING, or CHANGE
pinMode (WLED, OUTPUT);
pinMode (BLED, OUTPUT);
pinMode (RLED, OUTPUT);
pinMode (PLAYER_BUSY, INPUT);
pinMode (ALED, OUTPUT);
pinMode (YLED, OUTPUT);

mySoftwareSerial.begin(9600);
MP3.begin(mySoftwareSerial);
MP3.setTimeOut(500);
MP3.volume(25);
MP3.EQ(DFPLAYER_EQ_BASS);
MP3.outputDevice(DFPLAYER_DEVICE_SD);
}
void loop() {
MP3.play(5);
delay(41000);
// Test condition again to start the weld procedure
if (RUN) {
for (int x = 1; x <= CYCLE_COUNT; x++) {
welder(); // White/Blue flicker and MP3 track 1
afterglow(); // Red weld afterglow 2 to 3 seconds, no sound
grinder();
}
}
RUN = 0; //After CycleCount reaches limit
shut_down(); //Sets all LED's off
}
void sensorTiggered()
{
RUN = 1;
}
void welder() {
delay(3000);
MP3.play(1); // Random White/Blue flashing with track 1 playing
int cycle = random(80, 160); // Randomly sets the cycle time of the LEDs
for (int i = 0; i < cycle; i++)
{
digitalWrite(WLED, HIGH);
delay(random(10));
digitalWrite(WLED, LOW);
delay(random(200));
digitalWrite(BLED, HIGH);
delay(random(10));
digitalWrite(BLED, LOW);
delay(random(100));
if (digitalRead(PLAYER_BUSY) == HIGH) { // HIGH not playing
MP3.play(1); // Restart if sound has stopped
}
}
MP3.stop();
}
void afterglow() { // Weld afterglow starts after weld stops and then dims no sound
for (int j = 80; j > 1; j--) { // Variable int=j sets afterglow intensity, j > 1 sets ending glow, j-- decreases intensity
analogWrite(RLED, j); // Sets RLED to current value of j
delay(80); // Sets delay between each RLED intensity decrease

}
}
void grinder() {
MP3.play(2);
delay(5000);
MP3.play(2);
delay(2000);
MP3.play(3);
delay(12000);
MP3.play(4);
// Randomly sets the cycle time of the LEDs
int cycle = random(100, 200);
for (int i = 0; i < cycle; i++)
{
digitalWrite(ALED, HIGH);
delay(random(20));
digitalWrite(ALED, LOW);
delay(random(200));
digitalWrite(YLED, HIGH);
delay(random(10));
digitalWrite(YLED, LOW);
delay(random(100));
if (digitalRead(PLAYER_BUSY) == HIGH) { // HIGH not playing
// Restart if sound has stopped
MP3.play(4);
}
}
MP3.stop();
}
void shut_down() {
// Turn off all LEDs
digitalWrite(WLED, LOW);
digitalWrite(BLED, LOW);
digitalWrite(RLED, LOW);
digitalWrite(ALED, LOW);
digitalWrite(ALED, LOW);
}


I got the welding sound, slag chipping sound, and wire brushing sound starting at around the 7 minute mark from this video for files 0001-0003.mp3:


And I got the grinding sound starting near 5min 30sec from this video for files 0004.mp3:


And last, I got the old time radio music from this video for file 0005.mp3:


Alternately, you can use any sound files you want, and the code is easy to modify. The welding and grinding sound will trigger a replay of those sound files if the random timer continues past the MP3 file length, so don't record any silence at the beginning or end of those tracks.

My disclaimer, this is not my code or original idea, I pieced together lots of other peoples code and ideas to get what I though was a full featured arc welding simulator with sound using minimal parts and cost, and I wanted to share it with all of Trainboard's members to use and modify as desired.

 

I copied the sound files from YouTube videos so I can't distribute them due to copywrite infringement, but they are extremely easy to make. All you do is download the freeware Audacity program linked above, then go to the starting points listed above and press the record button, highlight just the sound you are targeting, and "Save Selected" as an mp3 file.

 

Yeah, I seen the video where it triggers a pneumatic piston, light bulb, soundtrack. I was thinking I can have that in my sawmill, and it is playing sawing sounds, then if someone looks inside, it triggers a band saw blade snap sounds, someone screaming, sparks flashing, and shoots a small nerf disc at them shaped like a saw blade. It could be good for a laugh or 2.

 

Thanks for the correction, I must have not paid enough attention.

 

That is slicker than a greased door knob! So cool!!!!!

 

Could it be the 10K RX resistor? Try a lower value, because your DFplayer might not be receiving. Alternately, the DFplayer "#include <DFRobotDFPlayerMini.h>" might not match your DFplayer, and you need a different library to match?